I am really concerned about something I see in the church overall – it's the habit of believing the worst in people. It's where we watch a person or ministry and just wait for them to get out of step so we can pounce on them all in the name of "discernment".  There has to be a better way.  – If someone teaches something we don't like, then they must be a heretic.  – If someone differs from us in an area of theology, they they're probably not really Christians.  – If someone tries a new approach, they're probably "straying … Read More

– Grrrrrreeeaaaat day today (Insert Tony the Tiger voice here) – I taught Revelation 2:18-29. The Church at Thyatira.  Not an easy message, but people responded really well.   – Mark and the band were great.   – I was out of town last week, so being back was great for me.  – We have a culture of inviting at our church.  There are people who bring an entire row of people to church!  Awesome! – I'm getting really excited about Easter. We're praying for God to do something big!  – Looking forward to my Zero to Sixty seminar in … Read More

It's been a while since I've done one of these, so let's get to it… – We had good services today, I just felt terrible.   – I didn't talk to very many people just to save my voice to do both services  – I struggle big time during the 2nd service to finish because of my voice  – I enjoyed starting our new series in 2 Timothy called "Fuel: The Factors that Ignite Faith" – Expositional teaching is my bread and butter.  It's where I need to stay more of the time.   – I had a black velvet … Read More

I’ve spend a lot of time talking with Pastors over the last month about budgeting. Unfortunately, there isn’t a ton of information out there to help guys figure out how to budget during the strange times we’re living in. So here’s a few thoughts I’ve been sharing about budgeting with the Pastors I interact with: 1. Be conservative – I’d rather be conservative now and change the budget mid-year because we have a surplus. But I don’t want to paint myself into a corner by approving a budget hat is too aggressive. 2. Be Realistic – I think you can … Read More

– Today was good despite the madness of the week. – We found out Wednesday afternoon that we wouldn’t be able to meet at the school this weekend. The reason? The superintendent decided to shut don the power to the schools to cut down on their $88 million dollar deficit. As you know, cutting income streams is best way to fix a money problem 🙂 – The staff handled it like pros. They called our old theatre and by 3PM we were on for Sunday at the Theatre. – Service was light, which is to be expected on the least … Read More

Since we started Calvary Fellowship in the year 2000, we’ve been portable, meeting in several different locations over the years. Needless to say, we’ve learned a thing or two about being a portable church and reaching people. Because of our desire to help portable churches, Nelson Searcy and I recorded a resource called, “The Portable Church Challenge” where we talk about the 10 commandments of being portable. I’m really proud of this recording and I believe it will be very helpful to churches that don’t have a permanent location. I’ve consulted with many portable churches and many of them tend … Read More

– Today was awesome! – Today was the 1st service in the school that was totally flawless. It was amazing! – Taught on the Second Coming today. – I’m going to do a whole series on this in March, but I whet everyone’s appetite today. – The place was in an uproar over the fact that I wore a tie 🙂 Yes, I own a few and will break them out a couple of times a year. – I’m looking forward to our next series “Trees” for December. Should be fun. – We had several of our lead set up … Read More

– Fantastic day today! – I thought attendance was going to be light because of the Dolphin game and the race in Homestead, but we had a really good turnout. – I taught on “The Challenge of Trust” and talked about how to navigate the financial crisis – We also kicked off our Christmas offering this weekend. I’m really excited about all that God is going to do through it. – This was just a smooth Sunday. – We also had a membership class today that was well attended and I’m excited about the people that decided to commit to … Read More

Just wanted to put 2 events on your radar: 1. Activate Small Groups Seminar – If you’re trying to get 100% participation in small groups, don’t miss this all new seminar in Tampa on November 20th! Nelson Searcy and I will teach you a small groups system that has worked all over the country. You can sign up here. 2. Growth Barriers Seminar – on Tuesday, December 9th, I’ll be leading a seminar in Miami on breaking growth barriers. I have a passion to help churches reach as many people as possible for Jesus. I’m looking forward to telling our … Read More

– What an awesome day! – We had a great crowd. – 25 people made a decision to follow Jesus! That’s amazing! – We always have 5-10 decisions a week, but 25 is great! – Miami needs the Gospel and we are here to proclaim it. – The Mayor of Miami Lakes was at our 2nd service today. It was great to meet him and connect with him. He seems like a really humble, sincere guy that wants to do a lot of good in the city. – I taught on “The Challenge of Forgiveness”. It connected. I watched people … Read More